IGLTA Foundation Announces Initiative to Expand LGBTQ+ Tourism Growth in India

IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, was founded in 1983 and is the world's leading network of LGBTQ+ welcoming tourism businesses. We provide free travel resources and information while continuously working to promote equality and safety within LGBTQ+ tourism worldwide. 

IGLTA has staff in seven countries, and business members in approximately 80 countries.  We have relationships with other global organizations such as UNWTO, PATA, as well as many national and local tourism offices.  

India is a major destination for international tourism.  The IGLTA Foundation, supporting IGLTA and its global members in tourism, is expanding its support of India as a destination and LGBTQ+ leader in tourism. During 2020-21 we will build programs to introduce tourism buyers to include India on their list of LGBTQ+ friendly destinations and link up India operators with international suppliers.   

We will grow our membership of LGBTQ+ owned businesses in India as well as non LGBTQ+ businesses who ally to become more LGBTQ+ inclusive and attract pink dollars to India while supporting and learning the unique needs of LGBTQ+ travelers.

Our reach and resources there are minimal and therefore we are setting a goal of establishing relationships to grow our business membership to further the visibility and business to India, as well as supporting outbound-India travel advisors with LGBTQ+ supplier options worldwide. 

India is home to more than 55 million LGBTQ+ adults and their nominal income is around US$113 billion annually, according to estimates. Travel companies will be the first to target the LGBTQ+ community following the scrapping of Section 377, which was introduced 157 years ago. Over 10.04 million foreign tourists arrived in India in 2018 and it had 26 million Indian national departures. India currently ranks as the 22nd destination for tourism international arrivals and growing the LGBTQ+ market share will help increase this. India’s tourism GDP in 2018 was $247 billion. Tourism contributed about 9% of the country’s total GDP.  Over 87 million people were employed in tourism prior to COVID and potentially half of those jobs face redundancy threats.

Currently, the IGLTA Foundation is building a task force of tourism operators in India and leaders in India interested in promoting and expanding the LGBTQ+ offerings there. We are seeking leaders, and nominations, in the LGBTQ+ community in India (or connected Indians currently living outside of India) who are interested in serving on this task force.

To nominate a leader or yourself please email info@igltafoundation.org.